When asked to write an article that looks back on 2009 and forward into 2010 I vowed not to produce the same tired list of news events that seem to come out in December of every year. As important as it is to learn from what has happened in this extremely difficult year, you probably don’t want to re-live most of it. Neither do I.

There are triumphs and tragedies to report in every year. But 2009 has been especially harsh – at least from a business and financial aspect. You don’t need me to tell you that. Our company has been forced to make difficult decisions, scramble to cut costs, and re-think our strategies. Yours has probably done the same.

In every business, companies have delayed, reduced, or eliminated investments in people, equipment, and software. In the document business, the economic downturn has also translated into a rapid escalation of efforts to reduce the number of documents printed and mailed – the bread and butter of many companies in our industry. We all knew this would be happening eventually. But most were unprepared for the huge drops in volume that occurred in a very short period of time.

There seem to be some companies that believe that the volume will come back when the economy improves. They are hunkered down and waiting for the recovery. I see it differently. That’s why we’ve expanded our business to include things such as customer communications strategy development. We’ll still be strong in document operations, but our clients need help in making sure that all their documents work for them and have an improved chance of delivering results. We can help them turn shotgun-like independent mail pieces into a targeted, integrated strategy.

Will document production volumes rebound in 2010?
I don’t think the documents that have migrated to another channel will be returning to physical form. This would include bills, statements, notices, and explanation of benefit forms. Let’s face it. After a company has effectively convinced their customers to accept electronic documents, there isn’t much of an argument for converting back to paper. In 2010 I think companies will step up efforts to convert as many customers to paperless documents as possible, using their own bill presentment platforms augmented with additional channels such as Zumbox.

Some of the documents that have disappeared from the production print and mail stream will eventually return, but not at pre-recession levels, and not all in 2010. Items such as credit card applications, charitable donation solicitations, and catalogs might be included in this category. However, many companies who previously mailed these items will have found other distribution methods for their messages that generate the same ROI as the physical mail pieces. Those companies are unlikely to return to their former ways.

The companies who do restart their mailing programs will produce lower volumes. They will likely be much more selective about their lists and will use the available data and technology to create fewer documents, with lower page counts, containing only content that is highly relevant to each individual recipient. They should be planning now to make sure every mail piece they produce in 2010 has a significantly higher probability of achieving the desired effect.

We’re starting to help companies do that now, by analyzing all their customer communications. We’ll ensure that all messages support the overall customer experience strategy, that there is a consistency in the messages, and that each document is necessary, timed perfectly, and relevant. Our operations expertise will ensure the documents can be produced and delivered accurately, at low cost.

Strategies for 2010
My advice for document producers for 2010? Start taking steps now to evaluate current operations. Talk to your internal or external customers about their customer communications strategies over the next few years. Reduce costs and use the savings to invest in any new hardware, software, or training you’ll need to support your customer requirements. Not taking this kind of action is like asking your work to be outsourced to someone who has made the necessary adjustments.

Vendors who supply products and services to the document centers should be helping their customers understand the importance of being able to produce lower volume/higher value mail pieces and helping them prepare to support that kind of work. This might include offering training, doing research and analysis, writing project plans or referring customers to someone who can help them do those things. These efforts will provide the ROI data that will be absolutely required to gain approval for future hardware or software purchases.

Mike Porter is an expert in print and mail operations and President of Print/Mail Consultants, an independent consulting firm that helps companies be more productive, adapt to changing requirements, and lower costs in their document operations. For more information on customer communication strategies or other services, visit www.printmailconsultants.com